Israel’s airport officials issued a stark warning Tuesday that tens of thousands of departing passengers could have their flights canceled starting as early as August, due to 33 American military refueling aircraft occupying critical parking spaces at Ben-Gurion Airport during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Plans to move the U.S. refueling planes out of Ben-Gurion Airport have stalled as tensions between the United States and Iran continue to escalate. Four more American refueling aircraft landed at the airport overnight Tuesday, compounding the problem. An additional 18 planes that had been scheduled to leave in mid-July are still on the ground.
The Israel Airports Authority Director General Sharon Kedmi sent a formal letter Tuesday morning to the transportation minister and other government officials, warning that the growing shortage of aircraft parking spaces threatens to severely disrupt the airport’s operations at the height of summer travel.
The timing could not be worse. Roughly 90,000 travelers are expected to move through Ben-Gurion Airport this coming Thursday alone, and daily passenger traffic is projected to exceed that same figure throughout August.
While an agreement between the United States and Israel did allow American aircraft to land and park at Ben-Gurion Airport, the sheer number of planes now on the ground has raised serious concerns about whether enough space remains for commercial airlines to operate normally.
Airport authorities made clear that if no solution is reached in the coming days, airlines may be forced to reduce flights or cancel bookings, potentially impacting tens of thousands of travelers during the peak summer season.
In a separate but related development, Israel’s internal security service, the Shin Bet, has extended a ban on Israeli airlines flying to the United Arab Emirates. That prohibition is now set to remain in place through the end of October 2026, citing the broader regional security situation.
